The

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

is home to a number of public and private ferry systems, most notably the state-run

Washington State Ferries Washington State Ferries (WSF) is a government agency that operates automobile and passenger ferry service in the U.S. state of Washington as part of the Washington State Department of Transportation. It runs ten routes serving 20 terminals ...

History

Due to Washington's geography which features large, deep bodies of water with many peninsulas and islands, ferries are a convenient means of connecting communities in the region.

Washington State Ferries

, owned and operated by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), serves communities on

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected m ...

and in the

San Juan Islands The San Juan Islands are an archipelago in the Pacific Northwest of the United States between the U.S. state of Washington and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of Washington state, and form the core o ...

. It is the largest fleet of passenger and automobile ferries in the United States and the third largest in the world.

WSDOT Ferries

Other ferries in Washington

Publicly operated

*The

Keller Ferry The Keller Ferry or Clark Ferry, is a ferry crossing on Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake in the US state of Washington. The crossing carries State Route 21 between the Colville Indian Reservation in Ferry County and Clark in Lincoln County. The ferr ...

carries State Route 21 across Lake Roosevelt on the upper Columbia River between the

Colville Indian Reservation The Colville Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation in the northwest United States, in north central Washington, inhabited and managed by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, which is federally recognized. Established i ...

and

Clark Clark is an English language surname, ultimately derived from the Latin with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone who was educat ...

. It is operated by WSDOT and was the first ferry operated by the state of Washington. *The

Guemes Island ferry The Guemes Island ferry, the ''M/V Guemes'', carries passengers and vehicles across Guemes Channel between Anacortes, Washington and Guemes Island. The ferry is operated by the Skagit County Public Works Department's Ferry Division. History Th ...

from

Anacortes Anacortes ( ) is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The name "Anacortes" is an adaptation of the name of Anne Curtis Bowman, who was the wife of early Fidalgo Island settler Amos Bowman.Guemes Island Guemes Island is a small island in western Skagit County, Washington, United States. It is located north of Fidalgo Island and the city of Anacortes, and is accessible by private boat and by the Guemes Island ferry operated by Skagit County. ...

is operated by

Skagit County, Washington Skagit County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 129,523. The county seat and largest city is Mount Vernon. The county was formed in 1883 from Whatcom County and is named for the Skagit ...

. * Wahkiakum County operates the Wahkiakum County Ferry between

Puget Island, Washington Puget Island is a 7.5 sq mi(4,785 acre; 19.365 km) island and Census-designated place (CDP) in the Columbia River in Wahkiakum County, Washington, United States. The Julia Butler Hansen Bridge (built in 1938) carries State Route 409 ac ...

and

Westport, Oregon Westport is an unincorporated community and census-designated place on the Columbia River in Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 321. Westport is connected to Cathlamet, Washington, across the riv ...

on the lower Columbia River. *The

Colville Confederated Tribes The Colville Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation in the northwest United States, in north central Washington, inhabited and managed by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, which is federally recognized. Established ...

operates the M/V ''Columbia Princess'' a.k.a. the Gifford-Inchelium Ferry on the upper Columbia River. * Pierce County operates the Steilacoom-Anderson Island Ferry providing service between Steilacoom, Anderson Island and

Ketron Island Ketron Island is an island and a census-designated place (CDP) in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The island had a population of 24 persons according to the 2000 census, and 17 persons at the 2010 census. Ketron Island is located in ...

, using two vessels, the ''Christine Anderson'' and the ''Steilacoom II''. *The Washington State Department of Corrections also operates a ferry from the same dock to the

McNeil Island McNeil Island is an island in the northwest United States in south Puget Sound, located southwest of Tacoma, Washington. With a land area of , it lies just north of Anderson Island; Fox Island is to the north, across Carr Inlet, and to t ...

Corrections Center. *The Lummi Island Ferry, also known as the M/V ''Whatcom Chief'', from Gooseberry Point to

Lummi Island Lummi Island lies at the southwest corner of Whatcom County, Washington, United States, between the mainland part of the county and offshore San Juan County. The Lummi Indian Reservation is situated on a peninsula east of the island, but it do ...

is operated by

Whatcom County Whatcom County is a county located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Washington, bordered by the Canadian Lower Mainland (the Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley Regional Districts of British Columbia) to the north, Okanogan Co ...

. *As of November 26, 2018,

Kitsap Transit Kitsap Transit is a public transit agency serving Kitsap County, Washington, part of the Seattle metropolitan area. The system is based in Bremerton and operates bus service on 40 fixed routes, a foot ferry, a vanpool system, worker-driver serv ...

operates passenger-only ferries between the following pairs:

Port Orchard Port Orchard, part of Washington state's Puget Sound, is the strait that separates Bainbridge Island on the east from the Kitsap Peninsula on the west. It extends from Liberty Bay and Agate Pass in the north to Sinclair Inlet and Rich Pas ...

and

Bremerton Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington. The population was 37,729 at the 2010 census and an estimated 41,405 in 2019, making it the largest city on the Kitsap Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerto ...

;

Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

and Bremerton. It also operates

Kitsap Fast Ferries Kitsap Fast Ferries is a passenger ferry service operating between Seattle and Kitsap County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is funded and operated by Kitsap Transit and began service in July 2017, with a single boat traveling between ...

for the following:

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

and Bremerton; Seattle and

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

Private

Many private ferries exist to serve residents of islands throughout

and beyond into the

Strait of Juan de Fuca The Strait of Juan de Fuca (officially named Juan de Fuca Strait in Canada) is a body of water about long that is the Salish Sea's outlet to the Pacific Ocean. The international boundary between Canada and the United States runs down the centre ...

. For example: *High-speed catamarans, geared to tourists, run from Seattle to

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. T ...

, and are operated by Victoria Clipper. * Black Ball Transport operates the M/V ''Coho'' auto/passenger ferry between Port Angeles and Victoria. *The M/V ''Charlie Wells'' crosses

Case Inlet Case Inlet, in southern Puget Sound in the U.S. state of Washington, is an arm of water between Key Peninsula on the east and Hartstine Island on the west. Its northern end, called North Bay, reaches nearly to Hood Canal, creating the defining i ...

from the

Key Peninsula The Key Peninsula ("The KP" or "The Key" to some locals) is a finger of land in Puget Sound, Washington, United States. It is approximately long and extends south from the Kitsap Peninsula. It is part of Pierce County, Washington. Some of its ...

(south of

Vaughn, Washington Vaughn is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Pierce County, Washington, United States. Vaughn is located on Vaughn Bay in the northwestern Key Peninsula. Vaughn has a post office with ZIP code 98394. Vaughn was named for ...

) to

Herron Island Herron Island is an island in central Case Inlet in the southern part of Puget Sound in the U.S. state of Washington. The Pierce County island has a land area of 1.2326 km² (304.57 acre The acre is a unit of land area used in the im ...

, a privately owned and operated island. *''Hat Express'' operates Thursday to Sunday between the Everett Marina and Gedney (Hat) Island Marina.

Passenger-only

*The King County Department of Transportation operates two passenger-only ferry services known as the

King County Water Taxi The King County Water Taxi is a passenger-only fast ferry service operated by the King County Metro Transit Department, Marine Division. It operates two routes between Downtown Seattle and West Seattle or Vashon Island. History Early ferries ...

with service from

Downtown Seattle Downtown is the central business district of Seattle, Washington. It is fairly compact compared with other city centers on the U.S. West Coast due to its geographical situation, being hemmed in on the north and east by hills, on the west b ...

Vashon Island Vashon is a census-designated place (CDP) in King County, Washington, United States. It covers an island alternately called Vashon Island or Vashon–Maury Island, the largest island in Puget Sound south of Admiralty Inlet. The population was 10,6 ...

and

West Seattle West Seattle is a conglomeration of neighborhoods in Seattle, Washington, United States. It comprises two of the thirteen districts, Delridge and Southwest, and encompasses all of Seattle west of the Duwamish River. It was incorporated as an in ...

. *The small Jetty Island Ferry runs the short distance between the Everett Marina and the man made, unpopulated

Jetty Island Jetty Island is a man-made island and park in the U.S. state of Washington, located 30 miles north of Seattle in the Puget Sound, just off the Everett, Washington waterfront. The island is two miles long and half a mile wide, approximately 1,800 ac ...

in the summer months for tourists. *The ''Lady of the Lake'' ferry runs year-round from Chelan to

Stehekin Stehekin is a small unincorporated community in Chelan County, Washington. The name "Stehekin" comes from a word in the Salishan language that means "the way through". Stehekin has about 75 permanent residents, although its population swells duri ...

Lake Chelan Lake Chelan ( ) is a narrow, long lake in Chelan County, north-central Washington state, U.S. Before 1927, it was the largest natural lake in the state by any measure. Upon the completion of Lake Chelan Dam in 1927, the elevation of the lake ...

. *Drayton Harbor Maritime operates between Blaine and

Semiahmoo Resort Semiahmoo Resort is a golfing resort and spa overlooking Semiahmoo Bay, opposite Blaine, Washington, northwest of Bellingham in the northwestern coast of the United States. Set within , it lies on a long sandy spit in the northern part of Puget S ...

during summer months.

Defunct

* From 2004 to April 2007, a private company, the Kitsap Ferry Co., provided passenger-only ferry service between Bremerton and Seattle, during weekday commute times. The service was canceled due to high costs and lack of support from

, whose district voters failed to pass a sales tax increase for the foot ferry. * The most recent run between Kingston and Seattle, called Aqua Express, shut down after two years of unprofitable service. Port of Kingston's SoundRunner service operated ''

Spirit of Kingston ''Spirit of Kingston'' is a , 149 passenger passenger-only ferry owned and operated as part of the King County Water Taxi fleet. History ''Spirit of Kingston'' was built by All American Marine in Bellingham, Washington in 2004 and launched in ...

'' between

and downtown Seattle, but it too has ceased operations and the ''Spirit of Kingston'' has been purchased by the King County Ferry District.

to the Seattle central business district and Bremerton to Seattle have been other passenger-only routes attempted by private enterprise. * The M/V ''El Matador'' crossed the channel of

Grays Harbor Grays Harbor is an estuarine bay located north of the mouth of the Columbia River, on the southwest Pacific coast of Washington state, in the United States of America. It is a ria, which formed at the end of the last ice age, when sea levels flood ...

, from Ocean Shores to Westport during summer months. It was discontinued in 2008 due to the fact that the Ocean Shores Marina has not been dredged, and the vessel is unable to enter without having problems. * Vessels geared to tourists ran from

Port Angeles Port Angeles ( ) is a city and county seat of Clallam County, Washington, United States. With a population of 19,960 as of the 2020 census, it is the largest city in the county. The population was estimated at 20,134 in 2021. The city's harb ...

, and were operated by Victoria Express until it ended its passenger service in 2010. * Puget Sound Express was contracted to run MV ''

Chilkat Express Chilkat or The Chilkat, or Chilkats, may refer to: Chilkat tribe and related uses * Chilkat Tlingit, a tribe found on the Chilkat River and on Chilkat Peninsula ** Chilkat Reservation, a U.S. Indian Reservation in Alaska, see List of Indian res ...

'' from Downtown Seattle to

Des Moines Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moine ...

as part of a two-month pilot. It began service on August 10, 2022, and was scheduled to end on October 9.

References

External links

*{{Citation , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060726180330/http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/visitors_center/index.cfm?fuseaction=other_services , url= http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/visitors_center/index.cfm?fuseaction=other_services , archivedate=July 26, 2006 , title= Other Pacific NW Ferry Services , publisher=

Washington State Department of Transportation The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT or WashDOT, both ) is a governmental agency that constructs, maintains, and regulates the use of transportation infrastructure in the U.S. state of Washington. Established in 1905, it is ...